[Sergio] So, what do you wish me to say?
[woman] We're gonna have new staff members watch this video on their first day.
[Sergio] I see. Some, uh...
some spontaneous wisdom, right?
[woman] How you came to be High Commissioner for Human Rights.
[Sergio] Oh, my God. But you realize
I can't summarize 34 years in three minutes.
[woman] Maybe tell us where you served.
Cambodia, Timor, Bosnia.
[Sergio] Lebanon, Rwanda.
You are asking me to recount my life.
But I suppose it’s, uh...
It's intended to be...
inspirational.
Right?
[woman] Absolutely.
[Sergio] Okay.
[clears throat]
Hi.
My name is Sergio Vieira de Mello. I'm Brazilian,
and I'm presently the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
This organization
is the best opportunity you'll have in your life of achieving your dreams.
But never forget...
the real challenges and the real rewards of serving the United Nations
are out there in the field.
Where people are suffering,
where people need you.
-[indistinct chatter] -[vehicle horn honks]
-[explosion] -[glass shattering]
-[alarms blaring] -[coughing]
[panicked chatter]
[woman] Help! I can't see.
[sobbing]
[man] We should get out of here now!
[coughing and alarms continue]
Sergio?
[Sergio coughing]
[Carolina] Sergio?
[gasps]
[exhales]
Sergio.
[gasps]
[groans]
[grunts]
[groans in pain]
[waves crashing loudly]
[groans]
-Mi amor. -Shh.
-[man moaning] -[panicked chatter, yelling]
-[woman wails] -[man] Stay calm!
[coughing]
[panicked chatter continuing]
[groaning]
[Gaby] Everybody out.
Stay against the wall.
Down the hall.
-[indistinct yelling] -[woman coughing]
[man] Get out!
[loud rumbling]
-[debris rattling] -[Sergio grunts]
[straining]
[groans in pain]
[exhales]
[groans]
Te amo, mi amor.
[yells in frustration]
So, Bush is going to want you in Iraq.
We are going to Rio, that's for sure.
[grunts]
[Carolina] I know about Rio.
But I know you,
you can say no to everybody.
Kofi, Bush.
All of them.
-[gasping] -[Carolina] Do you want me to show you?
Repeat after me.
No.
-No. -No.
[both laughing]
[panting]
-[man] Sergio! -[woman] Sergio.
[Sergio] So I just met President Bush,
and he explained the position of the United States,
and I reminded him of the position of the United Nations on this issue.
I don’t think anyone can predict what the human cost of a war will be,
but it will be high...
by definition.
[pilot on PA] Ladies and gentleman, welcome to Baghdad International.
Current temperature is 43 degrees Celsius. Clear skies.
Just wanted to wish you guys good luck.
[George W. Bush] My fellow citizens, at this hour,
American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations.
[Dan Rather] The attack came in waves.
Cruise missiles, followed by the F-117 stealth bombers.
[reporter] The statue of Saddam Hussein down,
and as it collapsed, a great roar
-came out from the crowd. -[crowd cheering]
There it goes. It has fallen down to the ground.
The crowd is going mad, rushing towards it.
They've been pelting it with stones.
[Bush] We thank all the citizens of Iraq who welcomed our troops.
[sighs]
[woman] Sergio! [man] Sergio, over here.
The tyrant has fallen,
and Iraq is free.
[woman] Welcome to Baghdad.
-Nice to meet you again. -[man] Good to see you again. How are you?
[reporters clamoring]
[reporter] Sergio, as the president made any commitments towards peace in Iraq?
[Bush] A free Iraq will be ruled by laws, not by a dictator.
A free Iraq will be peaceful and not a friend to terrorists
or a menace to its neighbors.
[news anchor] Brazilian diplomat Sergio Vieira de Mello has been sent here
to find out what role the United Nations can play
in an Iraq run by the United States.
The Secretary General's Special Envoy, with his long experience in trouble spots,
is treading carefully in this difficult political landscape,
working with, rather than against, the US
while he tries to gain the trust of Iraqis.
[soldier] All right, he's clear.
Papers please.
They're good!
Let 'em through. He's good.
[people yelling angrily]
[reporter] We saw those riots where people were complaining
that the US wasn't delivering the power and the services that they have promised.
Or if they believe that the United States is not going to make good
on its promises to build true democracy in Iraq,
this whole reconstruction effort could go up in smoke.
[indistinct chatter]
[Bush] Other nations in history have fought in foreign lands...
and remain to occupy and exploit.
Americans, following a battle...
want nothing more than to return home.
[crowd clamoring]
Get back! Get back! Get back!
Get out!
[boy yelling indistinctly]
Look at this, Sergio.
[soldier yelling] Get out! Get! Not gonna say it again!
[indistinct radio chatter]
It doesn't look very welcoming.
Does it?
This is Baghdad, Sergio, not Saint-Tropez.
-[Sergio] Stay here. -[Gil] What the hell are you doing?
Sergio...
[indistinct chatter]
-How are you? -Good to see you.
[indistinct chatter continuing]
Pleasure to meet you.
[Nadya] You know where we're at?
This is the plan. Looks like we're all on the third floor.
Carolina.
-Yes? -Just up here on the right.
You and your economics team.
Sergio.
-What happened? -Ten minutes. Talk in ten minutes.
-Here you go. -Thank you.
You're welcome.
Here we are.
Sergio,
you still think you can walk away after four months?
I do.
[soldiers chattering]
[Gaby] No, the helmet stays.
[Gil] What is going on? Gaby!
Sergio, what did you say to that guard?
[rumbling]
[debris falling]
[rubble crumbling]
[wind whistling]
[soldier] Hey, are you okay?
[creaking]
You hear me?
[wind whistling]
Liberator Base, this is Liberator Seven, over.
Liberator Base, this is Liberator Seven.
Do you copy? Over.
[static hiss on radio]
If someone can hear me...
this is Von Zehle.
[static hiss on radio]
Tell my wife and daughter I love them.
[loud rumbling]
[weak moaning]
[metal creaking]
[groans]
[rumbling]
[clattering]
[Sergio groans]
I'm Army Master Sergeant Bill Von Zehle.
Can you hear me?
[Sergio panting]
Yes.
I'm going to get you out of here.
Ah. I need you to stay awake now.
-Stay with me, okay? -Yes.
You remember what happened?
[waves crashing]
[Bill] Do you know where you are?
You're at the Canal Hotel in Baghdad.
UN headquarters. There's been an explosion.
[faintly] Don't let them pull us out.
Don't worry. We're going to get you out.
No, no, no, no.
Don't let them pull the mission out.
Jesus Christ.
You're Sergio de Mello.
[loud rumbling]
[debris falling]
-[Nadya] Are you ready? -Yes, Nadya. Please bring everyone in.
[indistinct chatter]
On our drive in, I asked myself...
how would I feel...
if I saw foreign troops on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, my hometown.
I wouldn't like it.
And I would want it to come to an end very, very quickly.
I see our role here as one that supports the Iraqi people
to replace the coalition as soon as possible
and recover fully their sovereignty.
And we cannot associate ourselves
with that behavior that we all saw on the streets.
-[aide] Sir. -What have you got?
It's Sergio.
God damn it. He got a sit-down with Ayatollah Sistani?
He's not supposed to take any initiative. The UN works for us.
Sistani won't meet anyone.
I can't even get His Eminence to return my calls.
How the hell did Sergio make that happen?
[aide] I don't know, sir. He just went and did it.
[reporter] UN envoy Sergio de Mello conferred today
with Iraq's most powerful religious leader, Ayatollah Sistani,
in what could be a political breakthrough leading to early elections
and an end to the US occupation.
Since arriving in Iraq, de Mello has crisscrossed the nation,
listening to ordinary citizens, many of whom are out of work
-and increasingly desperate. -[crowd clamoring]
-Yes? -What I do?
[Gaby] Step back.
What I do? Starve?
-[Gaby] Sergio... -Become a thief?
-No. You must not do that. No. -[Gaby] Step back.
-I'm a university graduate! -[Sergio] I understand.
[reporter] With food shortages on the rise,
frustration is at a boiling point.
[Carolina] We need to reopen the bridges and get people back to work
so they can get across town,
get in their taxi, in their car, and...
-go through gates without being detained. -All good?
-King Abdullah is confirmed for Tuesday, -Mm-hmm.
then to Tehran for President Khatami.
-Okay. Thank you, Lynn. -You're welcome.
[Bush on TV] There are some who feel like...
[Gaby] I'll need a list of passengers for the flight.
...they can attack us there.
My answer is, bring 'em on.
We've got the force necessary to deal with the security...
[Sergio] I can't believe these guys are going to reopen Abu Ghraib.
-Nadya. -Yeah.
How many detainees?
Thousands. They raid homes every night.
Jesus Christ.
This place is a powder keg.
[dial-up modem buzzing]
[Bremer] Check this out, Sergio.
They tell me the guards painted this graffiti themselves
so the prisoners would know what was to come.
We came as liberators, my friend.
Yes. Uh...
the Iraqi people deserve better than Saddam Hussein.
-On that we can all agree. -Absolutely.
That's why I'm, uh...
[inhales deeply]
I must say...
I'm surprised, Paul,
to hear that you are rebuilding Abu Ghraib.
We're mopping up resistance, Sergio. We have to put people someplace.
Yes.
Yet the, uh...
the symbolism of, uh...
Saddam's torture chambers...
[inhales sharply]
It's not the message you want to send, Paul.
Let me worry about that, okay?
Sergio...
the White House likes you,
and the President too,
but surprises make Washington very nervous.
How can I help?
Well,
you're meeting with...
Sistani for a start. That doesn't help.
It gives the impression I'm not in control.
I see.
Listen, Paul.
My conversation with Sistani went really well.
He can support the coalition
if we hold elections under an Iraqi constitution.
We have our own plan for elections.
We gotta stabilize the situation.
It must be soon, Paul.
The longer you stay here,
the worse it will get. Please trust me.
This isn't East Timor.
You're not viceroy here, Sergio.
Welcome to the big leagues.
[scoffs]
[reporters shouting questions]
[reporter] Did you agree on what role the UN will play here?
Uh, my good friend Sergio and I had a productive discussion
covering a range of issues.
We both agree on a peaceful and free Iraq.
The role of the UN is something we are working to define.
Good to see you, Paul.
-You too, Sergio. -[man] That's it, folks. No more questions.
[reporter] Will there be any reopening of the Abu Ghraib prison you can speak of?
[crowd clamoring]
[crowd chanting]
[car horn honks]
[chanting continuing]
Get back.
-[clamoring] -Get back!
Sergio! Sergio!
Sergio! Mr. De Mello.
Mr. De Mello.
You were with Paul Bremer at Abu Ghraib.
Is the UN just a cover for the American occupation?
First of all, my friend,
I'm answering your question,
the UN, its Secretary-General,
and Sergio Vierira de Mello, representing the Secretary-General,
are no tool and no cover for anyone.
All right?
Let's go, Sergio.
We are an independent organization.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan and myself are independent.
From anyone.
So don't suggest for a second
we are here supporting the United States or the coalition.
All right?
Thank you.
[reporters shouting questions]
Pull together everything we know about the occupation.
Roadblocks, detentions, torture,
Abu Ghraib, everything.
We will send a full dossier to the Security Council tomorrow morning.
Let's do this. No time to waste.
Let's go.
-[Carolina] Let's add an appendix... -Okay, I'll review it.
...to the economics section with all the data.
[approaching footsteps]
[Carolina sighs]
[in Spanish] Coffee?
[responds in Spanish]
[Carolina sighs]
Sugar?
Yes.
[Carolina laughs]
Three.
Perfect.
A little more coffee in your sugar?
Stir it.
This will be a long night.
We'll need a strong cover note for the dossier.
[Carolina in English] We need to tell the world what's happening here.
Wait.
Is this going public, or is it just for the Security Council?
Only for the Security Council.
The Americans are going to go nuts with this.
-Sergio-- -No, let's not make it worse. No.
[sighs]
[Sergio speaking Spanish]
Rio de Janeiro.
Very soon.
[chuckles]
[Bill] Can you move your leg, Sergio?
Can you move any parts of your body, other than the ones I've seen?
-No. -[Bill] No? It's okay.
I just want to know. Don't--
-[Sergio sobs and groans] -Just stay relaxed. Stay relaxed.
-We're just talking here. -My arm...
My arm is...
[mumbling]
[tranquil music playing]
[exhales]
[phone ringing]
That's Bremer.
[inhales deeply] Paul.
What can I do for you?
Sergio, that was, uh, quite a performance you had there.
No tool,
no cover for anyone not here...
supporting the occupation.
I honestly believe this serves both our interests, Paul.
If the Iraqis know the UN is independent,
then the elections we supervise will be seen as legitimate.
And if the elections are legitimate, Paul, then...
[sighs]
then we can all go home.
I've decided there won't be any elections,
not until we're ready.
Yes, I...
I also decided something I needed to share with you.
Tomorrow morning,
we'll send the Security Council a full dossier concerning the occupation
and its many human rights violations, Paul.
You know what? Hang on, hang on. Pull over.
Pull over. Give me one second.
-Paul? -[car door slamming on phone]
A dossier to the Security Council? You can't do that, Sergio.
With all due respect, Paul, you have no authority
to tell me what I can or cannot do.
[Bremer] The Security Council mandate is very clear.
You're here to support our effort to stabilize and rebuild Iraq.
-That's the only reason you're here. -The only reason I'm here
is because you broke it,
and you have no idea
-how to put it back together again. -Sergio...
you're an ambitious guy.
Yeah, attacking the US
isn't the best way to become the next Secretary-General,
I can tell you that.
Goodbye, Paul.
[disconnects call]
[exhales]
Well...
that went well.
[exhales]
I thought so too.
[chuckles]
[Gaby] Security-wise, there will be three.
There's going to be Gil and Sergio.
We might stay overnight if something happens, okay?
-Thank you, Nadya. -Thank you.
[Nadya] Thank you.
[man] Carolina, here's the economics section with all your final notes.
Thanks.
[Gil scoffs] Wow.
It's... all here.
Call a press conference for 9:00 a.m., before DC wakes up.
A press conference? We're going public?
Yes, we are.
The world has a right to know what's going on here.
Okay.
[exhales]
Sergio...
no more Oval Office visits for you.
[Sergio] No.
[huffs]
I suppose not.
-[loud clattering] -[muffled yelling]
[waves crashing]
[loud clattering]
[tranquil music playing]
What happened?
[panting]
-What happened? -[Bill] We're going to get you out.
I promise you.
[Sergio panting]
[loud rumbling]
[debris falling]
[Sergio] Gil?
[Bill] You two know each other?
[Sergio] Are you...
Gil?
All right.
They're coming right now.
Gil?
Please talk to me.
Please fucking talk to me.
[Gil moaning in pain]
Hey, Gil? Gil, are you okay?
Gil?
Liberator Base, this is Liberator Seven.
I have two survivors
inside the building near the ground level, under the pancaked portion of the roof.
-Do you copy? -[Gil] My girls.
[static hiss on radio]
How are my girls?
[Bill] I've got a daughter too. They're pretty special, huh?
Liberator Base, I have survivors. I repeat, I have survivors.
Please acknowledge. Over.
[boys laughing]
[birds chirping]
[Sergio panting]
[Bill] Liberator Base, this is Liberator Seven. Do you copy?
Over.
Damn.
[Sergio] How is my team?
How is everybody?
How is Carolina?
-You're alone. -What?
What?
You're alone.
-No bodyguard today. -Oh.
I, uh...
I snuck out.
I'm sure when he notices I'm missing, he'll...
he'll come running.
Are you missing?
Maybe.
I'm Sergio.
-Sergio. Sergio de Mello. -Yeah.
Well, you're not allowed to go missing.
[distant rapid gunfire]
Huh.
Nothing quite like the sound of a Kalashnikov in the morning.
I guess our ceasefire has yet to take hold.
[rapid gunfire]
It's an LMG version. Six hundred rounds per minute.
I need to get back. Maybe you do too.
Who are you?
What's your name?
[Gaby] I can't protect you like that.
-Did you hear this? -Yeah.
At least you have to let me know where you are.
I know. I'm sorry. It came from there, I think. Right in the woods.
-The bushes. -Let's go.
Come on. Let's go.
[rapid gunfire continues]
[car alarms blaring]
[indistinct yelling and coughing]
[woman wailing]
We'll take him to the collection point.
[Carolina] Sergio! Sergio!
Give me six inside.
Hey, guys, set me up a perimeter all the way around.
Get these walking wounded out of here!
[soldier] Stay where you are.
[Carolina] Lynn?
[Lynn sobs]
I'm so sorry!
You guys post up here. Nobody gets through.
Go, go, go!
[yelling and wailing continuing]
[anchor] We have this breaking news to tell you about.
There has been a blast at UN Headquarters in Baghdad.
It happened at the Canal Hotel.
An unknown number of wounded are there now,
and there are medical choppers apparently hovering above.
A massive rescue effort underway to extract dozens of people
possibly still trapped inside the UN Headquarters.
[anchor 2] One side of that building looks like it's suffered considerable damage,
completely collapsing on one wall there.
Some people reporting windows shattered as far as a kilometer away.
[Gil groaning in pain]
[Bill grunts]
[Gil groaning in pain]
[Gil moaning]
Hold on, brother.
Hold on.
They'll get us out soon.
[Gil coughing, moaning]
-[liquid pouring] -[church bell ringing]
[approaching footsteps]
[Sergio] I don't believe in being fashionably late either.
No. For a diplomatic meeting, never.
So there are some occasions that call for being late?
Oh, yes. Of course.
Depending on the situation.
My mother taught me always keep them waiting and leave them wanting more.
I'm Carolina, by the way.
[in Spanish] Carolina Larriera, from Argentina.
Quit Wall Street to come out here and change the world.
Economic advisor to our transitional government.
-[in English] You do your homework. -Absolutely.
That's something my mother taught me.
Okay. I see. [chuckles]
Carolina...
what do you think of our prospects?
I think if you do your job, I will do mine.
[car approaching]
-Sergio, he's here. -[Sergio] That's not what I meant.
-[Carolina] I know. -[Gil] He's here, Sergio.
Excuse me.
-[car doors closing] -[men talking indistinctly]
[Sergio] General Gusmao.
[in Portuguese] Nice to finally meet you.
It's an honor and a privilege to serve East Timor.
Mr. de Mello, I've heard a lot about you.
[in English] The world's Mr. Fix-It they call you, right?
[in Portuguese] It's not like that.
Over time, we've developed
certain modalities for conflict resolution.
[in English] What modalities do you envision for us, Mr. de Mello?
Well, a total ceasefire for a start.
You know, I recently met with the prime minister of Cambodia,
and he told me to beware of you guys.
He told me that the UN ran around his country for two years
and left nothing behind.
There is a different side to that story.
And if you'll allow me to introduce you to our...
transitional government.
This is, uh, Gil Loescher,
-our Deputy Administrator. -Gusmao, nice to meet you.
-Nice to meet you. -Daniel Travers, Finance Minister.
Doctor Faith Abujia, Minister of Health.
No, I'm sorry.
[in Portuguese] I apologize.
You have quick fixes for complex issues, don't you?
Indonesia wants to wipe my country off the map.
We don't have time for UN modalities
that led to the death of millions in Bosnia and Rwanda
while UN peacekeepers simply watched.
You can't judge what you don't know.
We've learned from our mistakes.
Of course. Now you need a success story.
We've fought for our independence for 24 years
We're not going to be your experiment.
[in English] By the way, uh...
this...
this is worn by elders...
and respected leaders only.
[issues orders to soldier]
[vehicle starts]
[sighs]
How are you?
I...
I think I may be here longer than planned.
Always leave them wanting more.
And what else did your mother teach you?
[laughs]
Um...
To beware of wandering married men.
So you did your homework?
Absolutely.
See you around.
The most powerful official in UN history.
[sighs]
Now the question is...
what to do with all that power?
Well, yeah.
[both chuckling]
You had it coming, you know.
Getting ripped a new asshole in front of everybody.
I'm sure you enjoyed it.
If I was General Gusmao, you know what I'd think?
I'd think Sergio Vieira de Mello
is here to cut a deal with the Indonesians, sell out the rebels,
and declare another victory quickly.
You wouldn't think that.
And he was right to bring up Cambodia.
Still no justice for two million dead.
leng kept his promise.
At least on the refugees.
-[man] Stop! Stop! -[guns cocking]
-[Gil] Oh, shit. -Stop, stop! [yelling]
-[Sergio] Calm down. -[Gil] We're the UN.
-[men yelling] -[Gil] I have family. Please don't shoot.
[Sergio] Okay. Yes, yes, yes.
-[Gil] Please don't shoot! -[men yelling]
[Sergio] Yes.
[birds chirping]
-[men yelling indistinctly] -[Sergio] All right.
Stay together. Do as they say.
[soldiers continue to yell]
[Sergio] Okay.
[Gil] Ieng Sary.
All he has to do is nod his head and we're dead.
Stay here.
[Gil] What the hell are you doing? Sergio?
-It's all right. It's okay. -[Gil] What?
Careful.
[in French] May 10th,
1968,
The Night of Barricades.
[in English] What the hell is going on?
[whispering] They were together in Paris.
Students at the Sorbonne.
The Sorbonne. Of course. Why not?
So...
Sergio de Mello.
The revolutionary.
You declared the Sorbonne...
to be the people's university.
Yes, I did.
And I still have a scar
to prove it. Our...
our revolution was crushed.
The choice was to succumb...
or to embrace the armed struggle.
I don't believe in demanding the impossible anymore,
but I'm going to do the best I can
to bring those refugees back home.
[Sergio] You know what?
It still fascinates me.
Ieng and I...
at a certain point of our lives...
we were very similar.
[Gil scoffs]
You're... you're...
unbelievable.
-We were. -No, unbelievable.
I have a title for your autobiography.
War Criminals...
My Friends.
[both laughing]
Gil...
you are my conscience.
Yeah.
Well, I wish you'd listen to it sometimes.
More?
Sure.
-Bring the bottle. -Yes.
[both speaking Portuguese]
[Gaby] This is Sergio de Mello. He has a meeting with General Gusmao.
No. We don't allow anyone to meet our leader today.
[exhales]
He's the administrator of East Timor.
No. We not allow anyone to meet our leader today.
Okay.
[in Portuguese] Good morning.
How are you?
I'm good.
I'm Sergio Vieira de Mello.
I have a meeting scheduled with General Gusmao
for now.
Could you please tell him I'm here?
[in Portuguese] Wait.
How do you spell your name?
D-E.
M-E-L-L-O.
Thank you.
You must wait.
[Gaby in English] He's a soldier...
just following orders.
[soldiers talking indistinctly]
-[Sergio] This is gonna take forever. -[Gaby] Yeah.
Gaby, I think I...
I'm going to walk.
Okay.
-I'll find you. -Just let me know if, uh...
-if he comes back. -[both laughing]
Okay. I will.
[in Portuguese] Good morning.
-How are you? -I'm good.
What fruit is this?
It's areca.
That one you chew?
You chew and your mouth gets red.
[speaking Portuguese]
I'd never seen it before.
[woman responds in Portuguese]
Good morning.
[woman responds in Portuguese]
[speaking Portuguese]
-[speaking Portuguese] -[Carolina] Sergio.
Hi.
[Carolina chuckles]
What are you doing here?
I should ask you the same.
Well, I'm, um...
I'm...
waiting.
[both laugh]
I'm waiting for the General.
[clears throat]
I see.
Yeah.
How will you win him over?
I don't know.
I really don't. I mean...
[Carolina] Hm.
Well, I think he has to understand that I'm not his enemy.
I have no idea how to do it.
[chuckles]
Yup.
Listen, I was just about to leave, but I think...
I think I have to show you something, if you have time.
Well...
-[both chuckle] -I think I have time.
Okay.
[Carolina] You know, sometimes change starts small.
This is the Bobometo Collective, our pilot project.
We give these women start-up loans.
They do the rest.
People want to work. They want dignity.
-This is Veronica. -[Sergio] Veronica.
-[Carolina] Claudia. -[Sergio speaking Portuguese]
And so finally they can earn a living by doing what they've done for centuries.
This project really shows the power of microfinance.
Our goal is to have...
[exhales sharply]
many more like this one around the country.
This is Senhorinha.
[both speaking Portuguese]
She lost everything, including two sons, killed by the militia.
I'm sorry to hear that.
I think you'd like to talk to her.
She's very special.
Senhorinha.
[in Portuguese] Good morning. How are you?
[Senhorinha] Good morning. I'm well.
[introduces himself in Portuguese]
Hi, Sergio.
Are you Portuguese?
No, I'm Brazilian.
Why are you here?
I'm here to administer Timor,
but for a short period.
Welcome.
We have been waiting for the future to arrive.
What do you want most for your future?
If I tell you what I want...
I don't think you would understand.
Really? I can make an effort to try.
I really want to know.
My whole life...
I worked the land.
Today,
my land,
my family,
they are all dead.
I don't have anything.
You know what I want?
I want to go up into the sky...
[sniffs]
and become a cloud.
Then travel through the sky
to the place where I was born.
And when I get there,
fall like rain.
Then...
stay forever...
on my soil,
on my land.
[Senhorinha sniffles]
I completely understand what you want.
So,
tell the world to see us
the way we are.
We want to be seen.
All of us.
You want to be seen.
-Can I give you a hug? -[Senhorinha responds in Portuguese]
-Thank you. Thank you. -[Senhorinha responds in Portuguese]
How beautiful what you just told me.
[Senhorinha sniffs]
[speaking Portuguese]
[in English] Any news?
[thunder rumbling in the distance]
[thunder crashing]
[rain falling heavily]
-Here? -Yes.
[Carolina laughing]
-I love this rain. -It rains every day at the same time?
-I was-- -It's the best.
Listen, um,
I was...
I was really impressed.
Thank you.
-Thank you. -[Gaby] Sergio!
Thank you.
-Thank you. -Sergio!
I have a message from General Gusmao.
-I'll wait in the car. -Yeah.
[thunder rumbles]
He wants the president of Indonesia to apologize.
For 24 years of war.
And...
he wants full independence for East Timor.
It's impossible.
[thunder rumbling]
[structure rumbling]
[Gil whimpering]
[wind whistling]
[soldier] You're good. Go!
-Here! Right now! -I got it!
Get them up.
[soldier] There you go. Sit right here. There you go. Easy, easy, easy.
There you go, there you go.
[Lynn sobbing]
Okay? Hold that right there. That's it. There you go.
Where is Sergio?
[man] I don't know.
[Carolina] Where is Sergio?
[structure creaking]
-[footsteps] -[man mumbling]
[coughing]
Oh, Jesus.
[grunts wearily]
[man] Hey!
-[Bill] Hey! -[man] You need any help down there?
[Bill] Hell, yes. Have you got any experience?
[man] New York City Fire Department.
-[Bill] Well, get down here, buddy. -[man] I'm coming, brother.
-[man] Roger that. -Help is coming.
[weakly] Now. Now.
[groaning]
[debris falling]
-All right. I'm Andre. -I'm Bill. Boy, am I glad to see you.
[Andre] All right.
[Bill] I've got two survivors.
This is Gil. He's lucid. BP, 100/60.
Beneath him,
Sergio. Also lucid.
BP 90/60.
Both pinned from the hips down.
I used my only IV on Gil.
We need to extract him first.
-[Gil] That doesn't sound good. -[Bill] My comms are down.
I'm calling. I'm getting zero response.
[Andre] Army Corps of Engineers,
they've got the equipment we need at Baghdad Airport.
Use my call signal, Nomad Two.
You call my guys,
and they can get it done.
[Bill] Nomad Base, this is Nomad Two.
[man on radio] Nomad Two, this is Nomad Base. Go ahead.
You've always managed to defy the odds.
-So far. -[Bill] We need an extraction team
and extraction equipment.
-I need you to give me a hand. -Get him up.
[man on radio] Copy that. We'll start looking for the gear now.
-[medic 1] Come right here, miss. -[Carolina] You should go.
We're going to get you up and in the truck right here.
Sit in the back of the truck.
[medic 1] Okay? Sit in the truck. You're in the back.
-Watch your head. -[medic 2] You okay?
[medic 1] Slide your legs in.
[Lynn whimpers]
-[medic 1] You're good. -[Carolina] You are going home.
Sergio!
[Andre] All right.
[Gaby shouting] Sergio!
There's someone out there.
[Gaby] Sergio!
[Bill] Hello?
-It's Gaby. -[Gil] He's out there.
[Gaby yelling] Sergio!
[Bill] Where are you?
[Gaby] I'm here!
[Sergio speaking French]
Are you okay?
Yes, I'm fine!
[rumbling]
[in English] Hey. Gaby, we need water.
We need IV solutions.
We're also waiting on our heavy equipment.
-Yes. -We're running out of time.
Can you light a fire under somebody's ass?
-Of course. -Go!
-[Sergio] Gaby? -[in French] Yes?
[Sergio] How is Carolina?
And all the others?
It's good.
Everyone is good, Sergio. Everyone is good.
[in English] Don't worry.
I'll get the water now.
He said it's okay.
He's lying.
[church bell tolling]
-[Gil] You don't need to do this now. -[Sergio] I've got it, Gil.
It's too rushed.
-[Sergio] Please, not now. -Wait, Sergio.
I did not come halfway around the world to take orders from--
Go on.
From a Timorese rebel with a high school education.
We were sent here to run East Timor.
-We were sent here to run... -We know what we're doing.
...East Timor for the moment.
Oh, I see. So we all give up power to the Timorese, except for you.
-Is that it? -If you don't like it...
-I don't like it. -...you're free to go.
-You're free to go. Then go. -I don't like it.
All right, everyone.
So...
We were sent here as overlords.
But I really hope...
we can leave as respected colleagues.
From now on,
we take our orders directly from you.
Because what we are about to do here...
is really important.
We are about to build
the first new nation of the 21st century.
So let's get together.
Stand up. Come here. Come closer.
Let's introduce ourselves, please.
Gil, why don't you introduce yourself?
My name is Gil Loescher and, um...
I work for the UN.
[in Spanish] This part is secret.
Go over there.
[in English] "His life is the pursuit of a pursuit forever.
It is the future that creates his present.
All is an interminable chain of longing."
The Escapist.
This goes perfectly...
with ovos Mexidos.
[exhales dramatically]
Your boys, how old are they?
The oldest is, um...
twenty-two.
Twenty-one.
And the other one is 19 now.
And how often do you see them?
Not often enough.
[boy laughs]
[laughter]
-Stop! -[woman laughs]
Oh, you kids!
[Sergio speaking Portuguese]
[boy] Hi, Grandma.
[in Portuguese] Shrimp moqueca with red palm oil.
Where did you get it?
-From Bahia. -[speaking Portuguese]
For you, my son.
I'm so happy I'm here.
How was the beach?
The water was great.
[news report on TV]
So good to see you here with the kids.
[reporter in English] The United Nations started returning
400,000 Cambodian refugees,
part of a peace deal with the notorious Khmer Rouge that no one thought possible.
[Grandma] Boys, come eat!
[boy speaking French]
-Speak English with your grandma. -I'm sorry.
Don't be sorry. It's not your fault if your daddy didn't teach you Portuguese.
Nor that your grandma, the wife of a diplomat,
can't speak French.
Who told you I can't?
-[Sergio] Mm-hmm! -[boys laugh]
[maid in Portuguese] You're going to love it!
[Sergio] Look at the size of this shrimp.
Pass me the spoon.
Tell them what this is.
[in English] This is from Lurdes' hometown, Salvador.
It's called moqueca, and it's probably the best Brazilian food
-you'll ever have... -Adrien.
-...in your-- -Dad.
[Grandma speaking Portuguese]
-[Sergio] It's-- -Okay.
[Laurent] I'm sorry, Papa.
I'm just not very hungry right now.
What?
I'm allergic to shrimp.
Since when?
Since always, Papa.
[Adrian sobbing]
[Sergio] We married young...
and we decided to give the boys a stable home...
with their mother in Geneva.
[inhales deeply]
My work is in--
My work is in the field.
Hello.
Yeah.
It's okay.
Yeah, I'll be there.
Thank you.
Yes.
[kisses]
[Sergio sighs]
[exhaling]
When I'm on a mission, I...
I know what part
I am to play...
in order to get the job done within a certain time frame.
I think I'm not very good at...
indefinite assignments.
[chuckles]
[inhales]
And now?
We're having breakfast.
[laughs]
What are we doing now?
We are about to indulge ourselves.
[chuckles]
[laughs]
[Sergio in Spanish] I have a song for you.
[needle drops on record]
[“As Rosas Não Falam“ by Cartola playing]
[song continues]
[panting]
[low explosion]
-[soldier] You can't get in. -[Carolina] Come on. Let me in.
I need to get in! I need to get in!
Please just let me in!
-[soldier] You can't. -Come on!
What are you doing?
[sobbing]
[muffled voices speaking]
[man speaking on TV in Arabic]
Under no circumstances should any Muslim
or sane person resort to the United Nations.
The UN is nothing but a tool of crime.
We are being massacred every day,
while the United Nations sits idly by.
[in Spanish] Do you want some tea?
[Sergio in French] Is your brother with you?
[Laurent] Papa, he's-- Well, Adrien is...
Yes, you are busy.
I understand.
[Laurent speaking French]
I love you.
Your brother too.
[Gil] Thank you.
[clears throat]
Are you all right?
Yeah.
-I'm sure I don't need to tell you this-- -But you're going to anyway.
[exhales in annoyance]
We are reaching out to the same government
that was slaughtering the Timorese for decades.
Are you sure you're all right?
You know what I want?
What?
I want to fall from the sky...
like rain...
and remain forever...
in the place where I belong.
[approaching footsteps]
Sergio.
[whispering] What the fuck did you just say?
-Please. -Thank you.
[Dur] Mr. de Mello...
you asked for this meeting.
Yes. Yes, I did.
Mr. President, um...
I'm here...
because the people of East Timor, in a plebiscite,
chose to be independent.
That's how they want to be seen...
by the rest of the world.
And for the 24 years of Indonesian domination,
and the 200,000 lives lost...
they want you to apologize.
Excuse me?
Yes.
I'm sorry to deny you a diplomatic breakthrough,
but the world is not that simple.
Sometimes it is.
The age of occupation is over,
Mr. President.
They just want to be...
acknowledged as what they are.
Because the way you look at them...
will determine the way the whole world
will look at you.
[motorcycle engine revs]
[in Spanish] Are you okay?
Look.
Go faster
What?
Go faster!
I love you.
[in English] It's been abandoned since the Civil War.
See this?
You can barely see.
The Portuguese built this in 1515,
and they were hoping to find the Spice Islands.
They all came and left.
The Dutch, the Portuguese.
Now us.
So the Indonesians are going to apologize?
It seems so, yes.
Timor will be free?
Yeah.
Our work here is--
It's almost complete.
[wistful music playing]
[loon calling]
[insects chirping]
[belt buckle rattles]
[gasping]
[both moaning]
[panting]
[in Spanish] You don't have to do that.
[in English] The mission is almost over, isn't it?
I know what I want for my life, Sergio.
I'm not going to wait for you to decide what you want for yours.
Don't go.
-[man grunting with effort] -[rumbling]
My guys called the base commander.
They even tried Bremer's office.
Can't locate the gear anywhere.
[sighs]
Any other city in the world
and these guys are evac'd by now, you know that.
What a shitshow.
Bill...
There's nothing else coming...
is there?
It doesn't look that way, no.
So what actually happened?
Don't know.
Truck bomb.
But why the UN?
Soft target.
[sighing]
Keep it moving. Come on.
[indistinct radio chatter]
It doesn't look very welcoming...
does it?
This is Baghdad, Sergio, not Saint-Tropez.
Stay here.
Sergio.
Hey.
[Gil] What's he doing?
[soldier] Welcome, sir.
[Sergio speaking indistinctly]
-[soldier] Absolutely. -I'm sure you understand.
[soldier] Yes, sir. All right, on me!
[gate creaks]
[sighing]
They want us out.
-Who wants us out? -The UN guy.
He says he doesn't want the locals to think
the UN is part of the occupation.
We wouldn't want that, would we?
Snipers too.
[Bill] Snipers too?
Okay.
Are you fucking kidding me?
Is that all you got?
[man] Sorry, boss. That's it.
-[scoffing] -Don't you love the army?
[Sergio] Are you fucking kidding me?
The most powerful army on earth...
and this is the best you can do?
The best they could do was to put tanks guarding our headquarters.
[Bill] Take it up!
-What the fuck were you thinking? -What the fuck are you talking about?
You weren't thinking.
The moment we got to Baghdad,
you put all our lives at risk.
I made a decision.
[Gil] Good decision, Sergio.
Which is more than you ever do.
Fuck you.
-Fuck you. -Everybody try to stay positive, okay?
We'll try to stay positive as you fill your purse with rocks.
Fuck you, Gil.
Fuck!
[screams in frustration]
[soldier yelling] Let's go! Start it up!
Sergio, did you really just tell the guards to leave?
I did, Lynn, yes.
[in French] We need to assess the security situation.
I take full responsibility.
Full responsibility.
[in English] Qabush, can you please close the door?
We have no choice
but to work with the Americans.
But we cannot hide
behind their wall of armor.
I must say...
it's now...
more clear to me than ever
why we're here...
and why I asked you, my colleagues, my friends, to join me on this mission
and why this mission requires the very best...
of the United Nations diplomatic corps.
We are not here to fix Iraq...
or to tell its people what to do.
We have to face the Iraqi people openly.
Openly as ourselves, as the United Nations because this is who we are.
And this is what we do best.
All right. Do you have our election templates?
From Timor and Kosovo. We're ready.
All right, everyone.
Let's do this.
[inhales deeply]
Enjoy Baghdad.
[wind whistling]
[debris falling]
[Sergio] Gil?
Huh?
I'm sorry.
I'm so fucking sorry.
[Gil] I'm sorry too.
You were right.
[Gil] No.
I'm so sorry.
Thank you, Sergio.
[Gil grunting]
[tense music playing]
[loud whooshing]
[soldier] Sir.
-Military police. -Captain.
I just want to let you know we found Sergio inside.
-Is he alive? -He's alive, sir.
Let's get him out. Get him out.
[men speaking indistinctly]
Your team get him out...
[Blitzer] How big of an explosion, in other words, was this?
Well, the UN building in the Canal Hotel is quite separate from other buildings.
The area is fairly, um...
-[Blitzer] Mr. Marshall-- -It has a few--
Hold on one second because Paul Bremer,
the Chief US Administrator in Iraq, is speaking right now,
and I want our viewers to hear what he has to say.
As of this time, my dear friend Sergio...
is, uh, somewhere...
back there. We're doing everything we can to get him out.
He may well have been the target of this attack
which will only strengthen our resolve to fight terror...
wherever we find it.
Thank you. Thank you very much.
As soon as we know anything, uh,
we'll let you know.
[reporters talking indistinctly]
[structure rumbling]
-[Andre] Are you okay? -It's getting harder to breathe.
I know, pal.
I need you to understand something.
[exhales] What we need to do...
to get you out of here...
[Bill] We're going to have to amputate both your legs, Gil.
I know.
I've already given you the maximum dose of morphine. Any more and it'd kill you.
You do whatever it takes to get us out.
[tearfully] Get me back to my family.
[Bill] Yes, sir.
All right, buddy.
We'll get you out of here.
Okay.
-[whimpering] -[Bill] We'll get you out of here.
[straps tightening]
[Andre] All right, now.
-Wait, wait! Wait! -[Andre] Hold it.
-Okay. -[Gil breathing rapidly in panic]
-Gil-- -Shh!
Do you wanna shut up?
Wait. Wait.
Wait.
Just wait.
[sobs]
[Andre] Forgive me.
[sawing]
[screaming]
I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
[sawing continues]
I'm sorry.
[sawing continues]
I'm sorry.
[birds chirping]
[debris shifting]
[Bill] One, two, three, go.
-Stay right there. -[Andre] All right.
Sergio,
I'm coming back for you.
Just give me a minute.
Okay. Stay there.
All right. All right.
Okay, one...
[Bill grunts with effort]
-Pull us up. -[Andre and Bill grunting with effort]
[Sergio] Go home, my friend.
Go home.
[approaching vehicle engine]
-Can you just wait for a minute? -[driver] Yes.
-Of course. Sure. -A minute. Thank you.
-[thunder rumbling] -Hello.
Thanks for coming.
Tomorrow's the big day.
You must be very proud.
I am.
So, you say you have some papers for me?
Yes, I do.
[Carolina] Mm-hmm.
[thunder rumbling faintly]
[exhales nervously]
"All is an interminable chain of longing."
[thunder rumbling]
Sergio, this is beautiful.
Of course.
[snickers]
But...
can you tell me right now...
right now, what do you want?
Can you say that?
There's this...
spot...
in Rio...
where an outcropping of rocks meets the sea at...
Ipanema Beach.
It's called...
Arpoador.
This is a place where my father...
used to take me
when I was a child.
And it's a place...
still today I return the moment I arrive in Rio.
[rain falling gently]
I want to go back home.
I want to go back to Brazil.
To Arpoador.
I want to stop...
being what people expect me to be.
It seems easy, but...
it's not an easy thing for me to do.
-You should go and do that. -Wait.
Look at me.
I want to see this country independent...
and free.
And I want you.
I really want you.
Look at me.
I really want you.
You'd better be fucking sure 'cause I want you too.
[Sergio breathing shakily]
-[clock ticks] -[thunder rumbles]
[loud whirring]
[Andre] Steady.
Go!
Watch your step!
Come on!
Clear!
There you go. All right, buddy.
["As Rosas Não Falam" playing]
[Carolina laughs]
[helicopter whirring loudly]
[Sergio exhales]
[helicopter blades whirring distantly]
[man] Y'all get ready to send them home.
[vehicle starts]
[man on radio] Okay, they're going back in.
Get the stretcher ready.
[Bill and Andre panting]
-You need to leave the area now. -I won't leave!
-I won't leave. -Now!
Just don't stop me, please.
-You can't get through. -I can't! I can't!
-I need to make it there, you understand? -Listen--
-I need to go. -You can't be here.
-Listen to me! Why are you stopping me? -You have to go.
-It is too dangerous. -Why? I need to find him.
I need to be with my Sergio. Do you hear me?
-Sergio de Mello? -Yes! I need to go.
Please let me go.
Go. Go.
[Carolina] Gaby?
[Gaby] Carolina!
-Gaby! -Viens ici. He's here. Sergio's here.
-Up here. -Can you show me?
-Can I see him? -No.
-But you can talk to him. -[Carolina sobbing]
I'll show you.
He'll hear you.
[in Spanish] Sergio, my love.
Are you there?
Sergio?
Sergio, my love, are you there?
[Sergio] Carolina?
Sergio?
[in English] Yes, he's there.
[in Spanish] Sergio, my love, I am here!
Are you--
Are you okay?
[exhales]
And the others?
I love you.
[intense music playing]
I love you.
[wind whistling]
[in English] Do you remember that night in East Timor?
The night of independence.
[fireworks exploding]
[applause]
That was good.
We did the right thing.
Listen, there are at least three official parties tonight.
Bill Clinton wants you at his, so does Kofi.
We're not going to any of those.
Okay.
I know what I want to do tonight.
-[Gil] Of course. -Okay.
-You stop it! -Let's go.
Let's go.
Good night, Gaby. Bye-bye.
[in Spanish] Ready?
[in Spanish] Always.
[man in English] Hey, all right, Sergio!
[people greeting]
Te amo.
Ma'am,
we need you to clear the area.
Please.
[speaking in Spanish]
Ma'am, we're bringing the heavy equipment in.
-We need you out of there. -[speaking in Spanish]
-I'm bringing the heavy equipment in. -I'm not leaving.
Carolina, It's better we go.
-I'm not leaving. -You need to get out now.
Carolina, let's go now. Let's go. It's better.
[Bush on TV] Military conflict could be difficult.
An Iraqi regime faced with its own demise
may attempt cruel and desperate measures.
[reporter] In a last ditch effort to prevent war,
UN Envoy Sergio de Mello was in the Oval Office today,
urging President Bush to work through the Security Council
to abide by international law.
You ask questions or do you want to hear from me?
So...
I just met President Bush, and he explained
the position of the United States.
-And I reminded him-- -[waiter] Sir, your table is ready.
Thank you. Bye-bye.
Bye, Sergio.
...what the human cost of a war...
Thanks.
[in Spanish] You look beautiful.
[Carolina laughs]
Thanks.
Sorry I'm late.
No problem.
[Carolina in English] So...
Bush is going to want you in Iraq.
He didn't formally ask
but it's coming.
[in Spanish] What are you going to do?
[in English] We are going to Rio, that's for sure.
[in English] I know about Rio.
But I know you.
[inhales]
If I go,
it's going to be four months.
Tops.
And...
I'm only going if you're going.
[in Spanish] Sergio, it's an illegal war
against everything you believe in.
The war is happening,
what I believe doesn't matter.
[in English] I know that.
I'm just saying it doesn't have to be you.
They can send anybody else.
-Who? -I... I don't care.
Mi amor.
Bush will definitely owe you one.
And Kofi's term is almost up.
-Is that what-- -You know me.
I'm not thinking about that.
After Iraq,
we are going to Rio.
[inhales deeply]
[in Spanish] And you know what?
Soon I'll be leaving the UN,
and finish my dissertation.
And go back to academia.
The boys can come visit us.
The boys.
Your sons are not children anymore.
My mom will love meeting you.
Of course.
[both laugh]
Yes. Because you're crazy.
-You're both the same. Crazy. -[laughing]
[cell phone buzzing]
[in English] I'm not picking it up.
Or you can just say no...
to everybody.
Kofi, Bush,
all of them.
-You wanna know how it's done? -Yeah.
You wanna know?
Repeat after me.
-No. -No.
[laughs] No.
No.
[Caroina] No.
[debris rattling]
[muffled voices]
[Bill] Are you okay, Sergio?
[snaps]
Hmm?
Hey, buddy.
You with me?
How we doing?
Are you a career soldier?
Me? No.
I'm a reservist.
Back home, I'm a fire chief.
Do you like it?
I run into burning buildings.
What's not to like?
[Sergio breathes unevenly]
He's bleeding internally.
Not enough time.
Sure there is.
[boys laughing]
[seagulls calling]
[inaudible]
[breathing anxiously]
[sniffles]
[whimpering]
[Carolina hyperventilating]
[sobbing]
[sobs]
[Kofi Annan] Today, we share our shock and sorrow
at the loss of people we loved.
Raid,
Lynn,
Ihsan,
Emaad,
and Basim.
Reham,
Ranillo,
Rick,
Reza,
Jean-Selim,
Christopher,
Martha,
Fiona,
Nadya.
Finally, Sergio,
my dear friend.
Even to those
who didn't know you personally,
you were always just Sergio.
[melancholy music playing]
[Sergio] My message is very simple.
Never forget the real challenges and the real rewards
of serving the United Nations are out there in the field...
where people are suffering,
where people need you.
Good luck.
Welcome to the organization,
and here we are to help you in any way we can.
All the best.
[man speaks French]
[Sergio] Okay.
Thank you.
[applause]
[laughter]
[light clicks off]
[melancholy music continues]
["Oração ao Tempo" by Caetano Veloso playing]
["Oração ao Tempo" continuing]